With the increasing demand for stability, durability and fuel economy for vehicles, there is a need to develop rubber having superior wet skid resistance, high mechanical strength and low rolling resistance as a material for vehicle tires, especially tire treads in contact with roads.
Although conventional tire treads have been formed by mixing conjugated diene-based rubber with an inorganic filler for enhancing properties as above, problems of high hysteresis loss or low dispersibility may occur.
Hence, research is ongoing into a method of preparing a modified conjugated diene-based polymer, as disclosed in JP W02005-097845 A1, but the effects thereof are insufficient.